System of refuse disposal.



PATENTED, SEPT. 10, 1907 A. N. PIERSON. SYSTEM OF REFUSE DISPOSAL.

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THE NORRIS PETERS co., WASHINGTON, o. c,

PATENTED SEPT. 10, 1907.

A. N. PIBRSON. SYSTEM OF REFUSE DISPOSAL APPLICATION FILED JAN. 21. 1907.

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No. 865,427. PATENTED SEPT. 10, 1907.

A. N. PIERSON. SYSTEM OF REFUSE DISPOSAL-L.

- APPLIOATIOH FILED JAN-21.1907.

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No. 865,427 PATENTED SEPT. 10, 1907. A. N. PIBRSON.

SYSTEM OF REFUSE DISPOSAL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.21.1907.

5 SHEETSSHBBT 5.

rm" NORRIS PETERS CG.,'WASHI!IGTON. o. c.

ARTHUR N. PIERSON, OF WESTFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

SYSTEM OF REFUSE DISPOSAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept; 10, 1907.

Application filed January 21,1907. Serial No. 353,173.

To all 1 1mm. '1'! may concern:

3e it known that I, ARTHUR N. PIERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Westtield, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Systems of Refuse Disposal, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to the disposal of refuse, par ticularly the refuse of large cities, and consists of an improved system of refuse disposal.

My invention has for its objects the disposition of all city refuse, such as garbage, ashes and what is known as paper rubbish, without creating any nuisance what- SUUYCl'.

My invention also has for its objects the diminution of the amount of hand labor required in the disposition and sorting of the refuse, the salvage of recoverable material and the destruction of burnable unrecoverable ma tcrial, and increased efficiency in all such work.

ill y invention also has other objects and advantageous features which will appear from the following description.

My invention includes the provision of a refuse disposal plant which may be located along the water front and which comprises sealed berths for garbagescows and ash-scows and means for receiving the loads dumped from the garlnige-carts and ash-carts without creating a nuisance even in the dumping room or rooms.

My invention also includes the provision in such a plant of means for the reception of loads from the papercarts and of loads of mixed paper and ashes, and for the sorting, recovery and destruction of the various constitutents of the paper rubbish.

My invention also includes various improvements in the construction and combination of parts.

I have shown in the accompanying drawings a coinplete refuse disposal plant consisting of an inclosed pier and connected building provided with means for the effective reception, destruction, etc., of the various kinds of refuse and with improved means for the utilization of so much as is desirable of the heat rising from the burning of the burnable waste. I will now describe such construction in detail and will thereafter point out my invention in claims.

Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of the plant taken just above the dumping floor in the pier portion of the plant and through the picking room at the land end thereof, as indicated by the lines 1-1, Figs. and (i. Fig. 2 is also a sectional plan view taken just below the dumping floor and above the furnaces, as indicated by the lines 2*2, Figs. 5 and 6. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section taken through the paper bin, exit-ramp and picking and baling rooms, as indicated by the lines 3-3, Figs. 1. and 2. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section taken through the dump rooms, scow-berths and paper bin, as indicated by the lines f-4, Figs. 1 and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section taken through the entrance-ramp, garbage scow-berth and ash-room, as indicated by the lines 55, Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 6 is a similar view taken through the ash scow-berth and one of the large furnaces, as indicated by the lines 6-6, Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 7 is an enlarged central vertical section, taken longitudinally, of the common connecting conduit 38, which is arranged transversely of the building. Fig. 8 is an enlarged central longitudinal vertical section of the steam generating waste-burning furnace. Fig. 5) is an enlarged detail of the revolving separators for ashes and paper and their adjacent. guides and conveyers.

The refuse disposal plant shown in the drawings is an inclosed pier and building of which the end 10 is the water-front and the end 11 the land-front. Two iiiclosed berths are provided with openings at the waterfront, the berth 12 for a garbagescow 14 and the berth 15 for an ash-scow 16. These berths are entirely inclosed and sealed, at the land ends and sides by permanent walls, at the top by the dumping floor 1.7 and at the water ends by roll-up curtains 18. The scows may be suitably moored by means not shown. Alongsid of the scow-berths on the pier part of the structure, is the paper-bin 19, this also being located below the dumping floor and being inclosed at the sides and ends by permanent walls and covered at the top by the dumping floor.

Above the dumping floor two large inclosed rooms are provided, one of which, the ash and garba e dumproom, has in its floor the dump-opening for garbage, the dump-opening 21 for ashes and the dunipopenings 22 for mixed ashes and paper rubbish, and the other room the paper dump-room, having in its floor the dump-openings 23 for paper rubbish. An inclined roadway or ramp 24 leads from the entrance 25 on the land-front to the garbage and ash dump-room, the two dump-rooms are connected by large openings in the dividing Wall 29, and a ramp 26 leads from the paper dump-room. to the exit 27, also on the land-front. Thus the carts all enter at a common entrance, go to their proper places in the dump-rooms, dump their loads and drive out at a common exit, so that. the lant can receive and discharge a procession of carts without confusion and without other delay to each cart than the time required to dump its load.

The garbage dump-openiin 20 and the ash dumpopening 21 are at the top of chutes which are closed at their lower ends by automatic or yielding and selfclosing trap-doors 28 (see Fig. 4) shown as counterweighted so that they will be opened by the weight of the material deposited upon them and will return to closed positions as soon as the material has fallen from them into the scows, the bottom of each chute being closed by a plurality oi trap-doors 28 side by side (see Fig. 1) so that only a portion oi the bottom oi each chute is opened ior each load dumped down a chute. Thus communication between the dumprooms and the scow-berths is opened only momentarily at intervals and at iractional portions oi the bottoms of the chutes tor the discharge of the loads irom the chutes, and at all other times remains closed, with the scow-berths sealed from the du1nprooms.' The odors from the garbage and the dust from the ashes are not, however, permitted to collect or remain in the scow-berths, as each berth is connected with exhausting means for withdrawing the ioul or dust laden air from the berth, and the resultoi the exhaustion of the sealed berths is that practically all odors and all ashes are sucked down through the chutes with the loads, so that the air of the dump-rooms is uncontaminated.

The exhausting means for the garbage-berth 12 conprise the rotating exhausting fan 30, oi ordinary construction, the conduit 31 extending from the shore end of the scow-berth 12 to the exhauster 30 and the conduit 32 extending from the exhauster 30 to the furnaces 33, 34 and 35, wherein the unrecoverable paper rubbish is consumed, the conduit 32 having a plurality of outlet orifices 32 which enter the furnaces at the ash pits or below the grate bars thereof, so that the fumes and odors which are drawn from the garbage scow-berth by the exhauster will pass through the burning materials in the furnaces with the resulting destruction of all germs, organic material and noxious odors, while at the same time carrying with them into the furnaces a supply of oxygen which will intensity the combustion therein. The final discharge to the atmosphere of these heat-purified gases is through the common stack or chimney 36 of the three iurnaces. I provide also a by-pass 37 extending from the conduit 31, to the connecting conduit 38 which connects the several furnaces with the stack, so that by the manipulation of suitable dampers, which are indicated in the drawings (see Fig. 2), the garbage scow-berth may be directly connected with the stack. This connection will be desirable at night when the exhauster is not in operation, the highly heated condition oi the walls of the connecting conduit 38 and the stack 36 being then relied upon to maintain the draft for the withdrawal of odors from the garbage scow-berth and to heat the same sufiiciently to mitigate or destroy their objectionable characteristics. 1 also provide in the common connecting conduit (see Fig. 7) a separate fire-bed oi grate-bars 46 upon which a coal or other [ire may be built at any time to maintain or intensiiy the heated condition of the conduit 3S and the chimney so.

The exhausting means for the ash scow-berth com.- prise the rotating exhausting fan 40, of ordinary construction, the conduit 41 extending from the shore end of the ash scow-berth to the exhauster, and a short conduit 42, which joins with the bypass 37 from the garbage-berth exhaust conduit 31 an d enters the connecting conduit 38, above referred to, which leads to the stack 36. This connecting conduit 38 is also a depositing chamber, wherein the dust carried by the air withdrawn from the ash scow-berth and any unconsumed floating particles are deposited by the action of steam screens or curtains and detention walls. This connecting conduit is separately shown in Fig. 7. The detention walls 43 extend upward from the bottom of the conduit a substantial distance so as to act to check the movement and set up eddies and form centers oi deposit ior the deposited material, and the steam screens 44 extend upward from the tops of the detention walls to the top of the conduit and comprise a suitable arrangement of pipes with jet-orifices so to form in effect a curtain of steam through which. the

and particles are compelled to pass with moistening oi the particles such as will cause them to be deposited in a pasty or muddy condition.

The steam-screens may be supplied with steam in any usual manner and I provide a boiler 45, which receives heat from the smaller iurnaco 35 and which supplies steam for the steam curtains, for steam heating when desired, and for the operation of an engine which works the blowers and may operate a lighting plant, etc., the details of steam connection being omitted irom the drawings.

The detention walls 43 and steam-screens 44 are located in the connecting conduit 38 just beyond the entrances thereto oi the draft-fines from the several furnaces, so that all the air and gases which enter this connecting conduit are subjected to the cleansing and depositing action of the steam-screens and detention walls before their escape to the stack. I also provide in the connecting conduit 38 the fire-bed oi gratebars 46, above referred to, whereon a coal or other fire may be kindled to augment the draft or to maintain the draft at night when the plant is not in operation, particularly when the weather conditions are such that the normal drait provisions are inadequate. I

also provide for the withdrawal oi dust-lad en air which one from the side of each lurnace and each joining a common conduit 48 which enters the exhaust conduit from the ash scow-berth.

As above described the paper rubbish is dumped through the opening 23 in the (lumping floor 1.7 and enters the p aper-bin 19. The dumping of this material is not accompanied by dust or noxious odors and therefore no means are provided for closing the dump-openings. The floor of the paper-bin l9 slopes to a longitudinal central line at which is located a belt-con- Veyer 50 extending along below the floor of the paperbin so that the material may be readily placed upon it by an attendent or iork-man whose duty is to place the material upon the conveyor with such distribution that it will be properly carried by the conveyor. The conveyor 50 rises to a picking room at the top oi the building in which are located a plurality oi hoppers 51 into which the different grades oi recoverable material are thrown by attendants, and below these hoppers are chutes 52 entering a baling room 53 just below the picking room wherein the sorted and recovered material is baled. A chute 60 carries the bales to receiving wagons which may be backed into the passage 61. The unrecoverable paper rubbish drops from the end of the conveyor 50 into an inclined chute 54 from which it drops upon the furnace-feed conveyer-belt 55 arranged transversely over the several furnaces. The furnaces are fed from this feed-conveyer by means of individual chutes 56 leading to openings in the tops of the furnaces. The material may be deflected to these feed-chutes by suitable manually operatable inclined guides or pushers (not shown) or in any Well known manner. ln the operation of the system the furnaces are usually charged, fired and cleaned out in succession, so that at least one furnace is being charged at all times during the operation of the plant.

The particular construction of the individual furnaces is not. claimed in the present application, but the furnaces are generally shown in the drawings. The smaller furnace 35 is the steam generating furnace and, as above described, the steam-boiler 45 receives the hot gases from this furnace. This furnace has a single row of grate-bars 35 (see Fig. 8) and has an exit flue 35" leading to the common connecting conduit 38 and closa-ble by a damper 35 and also has an exit flue 35 leading to the fines of the boiler 45 and closable by a damper 35; a flue 35 leading from the top of the boiler directly to the stack 36 (see Fig.2 An additional fire-bed is provided by grate-bars 35, on which a coal or other tire may be built to increase the heat or accentuate the draft under bad weather conditions or to provide asource of heat independently of the consumption of rubbish for operation of the steam plant at any time when the rubbish is not being consumed or is in sut licient. The larger furnaccs 33 and 34 are provided with two superposed fire-beds provided by two rows of grate-bars. The furnace 34 is shown in longitudinal section (see Fig. (3) with its two rows of grate-bars 34 and its exit-flue 3-1 leading to the common connecting conduit 38. The furnaces 33 and 34 are of exactly the same construction. The unconsumcd refuse from the furnace is removed by stokers after each firing and is carried into an ash-room 70 by suitable ears or carts (not shown) and from these cars or carts it is taken up by an elevator conveyor 71 which discharges it into an auxiliary ash-chute leading to the ash-scow.

In the handling of city refuse, the separation of ashes and papers by the householder cannot always be relied upon and for this and other reasons there will be occasional loads of mixed ashes and paper rubbish. The dump openitigs 22, as above stated, are for the reception of such mixed material. Chutes 22 lead from these dump openings 22 into the months or ends of revolving perforated cylinders 62 (see dotted lines in Fig. 5| and these revolving perforated cylinders separate the ashes which drop through their perforations and fall upon inclined guides 63 leading to a bclt-conveyer 64 (see also Fig. 9) and this belt-conveyer dumps its ashes upon the auxiliary ash chute 65 which, as above described, also receives the ashes and unconsumed refuse from the furnaces. The paper rubbish is retained With in the revolving cylinders 62 and drops from the lower ends of llKSt cylinders upon a conveyor-belt 66 which conveys it. transversely across the building to a second conveyorbelt 67, the latter carrying it to the paper-bin 19. The paper conveycr-belt 66 is suitably housed by a casing tit) where it passes through the land end of the ash scowberth just above the exhaust opening of such berth (see Fig; 6'). A small exhaust pipe 68 leads from above the cylinder 62 t0 the exhaust conduit 41 and operates to remove any dust incident to the dump-,

ing or separating action.

In the operation of the plant above described the natural draft of the stack resulting from the combustion in the furnaces may at times be relied upon, in favorable Weather or other conditions, to afford the desired low pressure or exhaust for the various exhaust conduits. The draft may be regulated by the damper 58 (see Fig. 7) located near the exit end of the common flue conduit and depositingchamber 38. It is 'to be noted, however, that the irregularity in the quality and quantity of the refuse fuel, as well as the variations in Weather conditions, make it necessary to provide for the maintenance of effective Working conditions by the forced exhausts and the forced draftsresulting therefrom, as above described.

It is obvious that various modifications may be made in the construction shown and above particularly described Within the principle and scope of my invention.

1. In a system of refuse disposal. the combination of an inclosed garbage scow-bertih, an exhauster. a furnace. and an exhaust, conduit leading from the berth and controlled by the cxhauster and entering the furnace in advance of the seat of combustion therein.

2. In a system of refuse disposal, the combination of a garbage scow-berth, an exhauster, a furnace, an exhaust conduit leading from the berth and controlled by the ex hauster and entering the furnace in advance of the seat of combustion therein, a draft-conduit from the furnace, at by-pass leading from the exhaust conduit to the draftconduit, and means for closing the exhaust conduit or bypass.

3. In a system of refuse disposal, the combination of a garbage scow-berth, an exhauster, a refuse-consuming;- furnace. an exhaust conduit leading from the berth and controlled by the exhaustcr and entering the furnace in ad vance of the seat of combustion therein, a draft-conduit from the furnace, a by-pass leading from the exhaustconduit to the draft-conduit, the draftconduit having a. fircbed therein, and means for closing the exhaust conduit or by-pass.

4. In a system of refuse disposal, the combination of an inclosed ash scow-bcrth, an exhauster, a depositing chamber. an exhaust conduit leading from the berth and controlled by the exhauster and entering the depositing chamber. and means in the depositing chamber for separating dust from the air conveyed to the chamber by the exhaust conduit.

5. In a system of refuse disposal, the combination of an inclosed ash scoW-bcrth, an exhauster, a depositing chamber. an exhaust conduit leading from the berth and controlled by the exhauster and entering the depositing chamber, and a fluid-screen in the depositing chamber in the path of the dust laden air therein.

6. In a system of refuse disposal, the combination of an inclosed ash scow-berth, an exhauster, a depositing chamber. an exhaust conduit leading from the berth and controlled by the exhauster and entering the depositing chamber, and a fluidscreen and detention wall in the depositing chamber in the path of the dust laden air therein.

7. In a system of refuse disposal, the combination of an inclosed ash scow-berth, an exhauster, a combined furnace flue and depositing chamber, an exhaust conduit leading from the berth and controlled by the exhauster and entering the combined flue and chamber, a furnace the exit-flue of which enters the combined flue and chamber, and means in the combined flue and chamber for separating dust from the air conveyed thereto by the exhaust conduit and separating floating particles from the products of combustion from the furnace.

8. In a system of refuse disposal, the combination of an inclosed ash scow-berth, an exhauster, a combined furnace flue and depositing chamber, an exhaust: conduit leading from the berth and controlled by the exhaustcr and entering the combined ilue and chamber, a furnace the exit-fluc of Which enters the combined line and chamber, and a fluid screen in the combined fine and chamber in the path of the dust-laden air and products of combustion.

9. In a system of refuse disposal, the combination of an inclosed ash scow-berth, an cxhauster, a combined furnace line and depositing chamber, an exhaust conduit leading from the berth and controlled by the 'exhauster and entcring 'the combined fine and chamber, a furnace the exit-flue of which enters the combined flue and chamber, and a lluid screen and detention wall in the combined flue and chamber in the path of the duseladen air and products of combustion.

10. In a system of refuse disposal, the combination of an ash scoW-berth, an exhauster, a combined furnace flue and depositing chamber, an exhaust conduit leading from the berth and controlled by the exhauster and entering the combined line and chamber, a refuse-consuming furnace the exit-flue of which enters the combined flue and chain her, a fire'bed in the combined fine and chamber, and means in the combined flue and chamber for separating dust from the air conveyed thereto by the exhaust conduit and separating floating particles from the products of combustion from the furnace.

11, in a system of refuse disposal, the combination of an ash scow-berth, an exhauster, a combined furnace flue and depositing; chamber, an exhaust conduit leading from the berth and controlled by the cxhaust'er and entering the combined fine and chamber, a refuse-consuminefurnace the cxitfluc of which enters the combined flue and chamber, a lire-bed in the combined fine and chamber, and a fluid screen in the combined flue and chamber in the path of the dust-laden air and product of combustion.

12. In a system of refuse disposal, the combination of an ash scoW-berth. an exhauster, a combined furnace flue and depositing chamber, an exhaust conduit leading from the berth and controlled by the exhaustor and entering the combined flue and chamber, a refuse-consuming furnace the exitllue of which enters the combined flue and chamber. a tire-bed in the combined flue and chamber, and a fluidscreen and detention Wall in the combined iluc and chamber in the path of the dust-laden air and product of com bustion.

tem of refuse disposal, the combination of a dump floor, an inclosed scow-bcrth, the dump-floor having an opening leading to the scoW-berth, and means for exhausting air from the inclosed scow-berth.

14. In a system of refuse'disposal, the combination of a dump-iioor, an inclosed scoW-berth, the dump-floor having an opening leading to the scow'berth, yielding self'closing means controlling such opening, and means for exhausting air from the inclosed sco\\'berth.

15. In a tem of refuse disposal, the combination of an inclosed garbage scoW-berth, an exhaust conduit leading from the berth and means for exhausting the air and gases from the scow-berth and subjecting them to heat.

16. In a system of refuse disposal, the combination of an inclosed garbage scoW-berth, a furnace, an exhaust conduit leading from the berth and entering the furnace, and a draft-stack for the furnace.

17, In a system of refuse disposal, the combination of an inclosed ash sco\vherth, a combined furnace line and dcpositing chamber, an exhaust conduit leading from the berth and entering the combined flue and chamber, means in the combined flue and chamber for separating; dust from the air conveyed thereto by the cxhausbconduit, a furnace the exit-flue of which enters the combined line and chamber, and a draf tack from the combined line and chamber.

18. In a s3 tem of refuse disposal, the combination of an inclosed ash sco\vberth, a combined furnace [inc and depositing chamber, an exhaust conduit leading from the berth and entering the combined line and chamber, a furnace the exit flue of which enters the combined fine and chamber, and a fluid-screen in the depositing; chamber in the path of the dustladcn air and products of combustion.

.J. in a system of refuse disposal, the combination of an inclosed ash scou' bm'th, a combined furnace flue and depositing chamber, an exhaust conduit leading rom the berth and entering the combined line and chamber, a furnace the exitfiue of which enters the combined flue and chamber, and a fluid screen and a detention wall in the depositing chamber in the path of the dustladen air and products of combustion.

In testimony yvhereof I have affixed my signature. in

presence of two Witnesses.

ARTHUR N. PIERSON.

Witnesses Bunxauo Cownx, \Vn. ASHLEY Runny. 

